Haunting
by sixthnin
Summary: He couldn't believe that the hands he was dealt with had such a dangerous appeal. Naruto AU.


He sat on his bed staring at the gray wall as he did every day for the past eight years before he let his eyes rest and wonder off in to a state of tranquility. Purpose was a distant thought, lost behind a mountain of fatigue as his brows furrowed upon hearing a sudden soft whimper coming from the hallway. Sasuke peeked his head out of his doorway to follow the battered whimpers that originated from his brother's room.

He cocked his head slightly to one side when he felt something cold and firm grasp his shoulder.

"Stop it," he stammered, "I don't listen to you anymore."

He found himself standing between the doorway to find his brother, Itachi, hugging his knees, his breathing hitched, and sweat running down his temples that seeped to his pajamas.

Sasuke squared his shoulders as he lowered himself gingerly on the bed, placing his arm around the raven-haired boy.

He pursed his lips, "Hey, I'm here."

Soon, the raven-haired boy jarred to a halt as if every bone in his body locked at the sudden sound of his brother's voice. He fixed him with a stare, blinking away the tears, before latching on to his father and letting free the warm tears that he fought to stay in. Sasuke rubbed Itachi's back, hoping his warmth would scare away the monsters that leaked into his dreams.

After a few cries, Itachi's grip on Sasuke's shirt loosened. Rubbing his eyes, he asked, "Can you tell me a bedtime story?"

"What kind of story do you want to hear?"

His face pinched in concentration, "I –I don't know. Um… Tell me about _her_."

Thoughts passed behind his eyes like shadows before he could find the right words to tell the tale of the woman that lost a battle to herself. Instead, he settled for a lie. "There was once a woman named Sakura, who stole hearts," he paused, looking out the window, "But nobody had the privilege to steal hers…until one sturdy night out on White Day, a young man found her crouched down on a bench. He thought she was most extravagant-looking woman with innocence sketched deep into her cerulean eyes that sparkled from the moonlight. He asked for her name, but instead she gave him a face full of tears that resembled the night sky with her makeup running down her cheeks –"

"Huh, why was she crying?" Itachi interrupted, concerned, clutching onto his bed sheets.

"Ah," he clicked his tongue, "We'll get to that. The gentleman asked for her name again but he got her story instead. She spoke about the wars inside her head and how it troubled her to no end, but the gentleman did not understand how such a little thing could hold so much sadness within her heart," He breathed in, "But guess what happened afterwards."

"They fell in love?'

He nodded, "The thief and the gentleman fell in love," his lips trembled into an insecure smile, "They got married too."

"Did they have kids?" He smiled.

At the sound of the question, his lips formed a flat line, and silence became their third company, but Sasuke answered, "She gave up her life, so that her son could live and I believe that's the bravest kind of love a mother can do for someone she's never met."

The eight-year old boy frowned with his eyebrows as Sasuke poked his forehead and wrestled himself to a standing position. But before Sasuke could return to feast his eyes over his wall, Itachi grasped his wrist with a pout.

"What is it?" He asked, returning back to his spot on the bed.

Looking away, "T-there's a monster under my bed…"

"There's no such thing as monsters," Sasuke blinked, "But I'll check just in case."

He dropped to his knees, bent his upper body to raise the bed skirt to find himself swallowing his anxiety with difficulty. His eyes locked with a little boy who carried the same face as his brother's.

It felt like chains tied him to the stance when the boy spoke. "Nii-san" the boy placed two fingers to his lips, "There's a monster on my bed."

Sasuke's nerves jumped when he finally rose to find himself in a gray-mattress room with no windows and thick air circulated through the vents. He walked forward to the door that was placed in the middle and stared back at the man in front of him before he dropped to his knees. His chest felt tight and choked on the air that threaten to enter his lungs. His heart felt like it was about to rupture out of his body. Tears escaped his eyes when he felt the walls close in and he could not control the screams that fled from his lips every second. He raised his arm only to fall to his side when he heard the ringing sound of keys and the blur sighting of a figure hovering over him with warm yet dangerous light radiating behind them.

He felt cold hands propping him up and arms around his torso rubbing his shoulders while the air became thinner and thinner within the minute.

He heard a woman's voice say, "Get me a syringe." And he felt a stinging sensation pierce through his skin and within seconds, he felt a fluid pulsing through every limb.

When Sasuke's eyes finally locked to sleep, the woman placed him on to his bed, tucked him in, and removed the picture frame he was clutching onto his chest.

"Karin," one of the men in spoke, "We need to tell Orochimaru about this."

The rosy-haired woman bit down her frown and said, "I don't think Orochimaru needs to know about this, Suigetsu," she placed a warm towel over Sasuke's forehead, "He's too lost."

Suigetsu sighed, "What do you think started this?"

Her eyes sparked a fire upon what was behind the picture frame the raven-haired man seized. It held a 2010 Konohagakure newspaper article, "The world mourns the murder of Haruno Sakura. Uchiha Sasuke called in for questioning."

* * *

**Author's Note**:

I actually don't know what I wrote, but I hope you have an idea what of I was writing. I love the idea of insane-asylum-Sasuke. Reviews would be appreciated!


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